Gvantsa Khizanishvili is a global health leader and program strategist with over 18 years of experience driving multi-sectoral initiatives across Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Her background uniquely combines clinical training as a medical doctor with public health policy, strategic communications, and a deep commitment to building scalable, high-impact programs.
Gvantsa serves as the global program and partnerships manager at City Cancer Challenge Foundation leading the design and execution of initiatives in over 15 countries. She has built organizations' country engagement frameworks and operational models. She also managed diverse, cross-functional teams, working across complex local and regional ecosystems to align stakeholders around common goals. Her work focuses on strengthening healthcare systems through co-created, locally led solutions that address systemic inequities.
Gvantsa’s expertise lies in designing innovative implementation models, scaling best practices, and fostering collaborative partnerships across governments, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector. She has consistently championed data-driven decision-making and equity-focused health system reform in resource-limited settings.
She has received numerous international fellowships and awards, including the Edmund S. Muskie fellowship from the U.S. Department of State and a UK Government Chevening scholarship from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Gvantsa holds a doctor of medicine (MD) from Tbilisi State Medical University, a master of public health (MPH) from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a postgraduate degree in strategic communications from King’s College London.
She is also a women deliver young leader and formerly served as a World Contraception Day ambassador for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In addition to her programmatic work, she sits on advisory boards for several international companies and professional organizations